Door check



W. F. MOORE March 31, 1936.

DOOR CHECK Filed May 12, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WALL/1 CE F: MOORE ATTORNEYS QWEMMHHQ arch 31', 1936. w 'E 2,035,824

DOOR CHECK Filed May 12, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WALLACE F MOORE WM, AT ORNEYS W. F. MOORE DOOR CHECK Filed May 12, 1934 SSheets-Sheet 3 I (I I r INVENTOR WALLA CE E MOORE ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFIQE DOOR CHECK Wallace F. Moore, New Britain, Conn, assignor to The American Hardware Corporation, New Britain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut.

Application May 12, 1934, Serial No. 725,260

'7 Claims. (CI. '7050) My invention relates to door checks, and has adapted to be received in a recess 20 in a stop special reference to door checks that are adapted member 22 that is secured on a ring 24. This to be controlled from a remote point. ring 24 is mounted in a groove in the top of One of the objects of the invention is to the check casing and arranged concentrically provide a door check of this character which is of the shaft I0. As the door approaches its adapted to be controlled through electrically full opened position, the ball I8 rides up on operable means to release the hold-back device the inclined surface 26 of the stop member 22, of the check, and in which the hold-back deso that when the door reaches said position, vice is automatically reset upon reopening the the ball snaps into the recess 28 so as to hold the in door. door open.

Another of the objects of the invention is to Except as hereinafter described, the hold-back provide a device of the character indicated device and associated parts of the check may be which may be readily applied for use with a substantially of the form of the correspondhold-back check already attached to a door. ing parts of the check illustrated and described Another of the objects of the invention is to in my Patent No. 1,678,701, dated July 31, 1928. 5 provide a door check of the character indicated In my Patent No. 1,993,224, dated March 5, which is simple in construction and efficient in 1935, the check described and claimed therein operation. is provided with electrically operable means for The several features of the invention, whereby releasing the hold-back device of the check.

= the above mentioned and other objects may be In the check of said application the hold-back attained, Will be readily understood from the device requires manual resetting after each elecfollowing description and accompanying drawtrically controlled operation. ings, in which: The check of the present application is also Figure 1 is a plan view of a, door check and provided with electrically operated means for '35 closer embodying features of my invention in releasing the hold-pack device, but the contheir preferred form shown applied to a door struction is such that the hold-back device is and a door case; automatically reset for normal operation after Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; each electrically controlled operation. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l but with the In the illustrated construction, the hold-back door shown in open position; stop-carrying ring 24 is mounted to turn in its Fig. 4 is a similar view but with the door near groove in the check casing, and means is prothe start of the closing; vided for holding the ring in a predetermined Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View taken on the angular position during the normal operation line 55 of Fig. 3; of the check. When, however, the electrically of) Fig. 6 is a detail side view of a magnetically operable device of the check is operated, said operated device forming a part of the present retaining means for the stop-carrying ring 24 device, the casing being shown in section; is released, whereupon said ring is free to turn Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view taken on the with the door-closing arm through engagement line 1-! of Fig. 6; of the hold-back detent or ball I8 in the recess 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 20 of the stop member, the ball E8 remaining in 88 of Fig. '7; and the recess 20 during the closing of the door. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view taken on the Upon reopening the door, the ring is returned line 9-9' of Fig. 6. to its initial angular position through said hold- My improved check is illustrated in the drawback ball and recess connection, and upon reach- 5 ings applied to a door 2 and door case 4. The ing said position the retaining means for t -e check is provided with the usual casing 6 that ring is reset so as to hold the ring in said posiis secured to the side of the door by means of tion, thus restoring the check to its normal the lugs 8, said casing enclosing the piston and operative condition. In case in opening the door closing spring (not shown). The check door, the hold-back ball i3 should be forced 56' has the usual vertical spring-operated shaft l0 back out of the recess 26 and should be back of to which is secured one end of a door closing the recess when the electric devices of the check arm I2 that is connected through an adjustable are again operated, the ball will ride into the link or loop M with a bracket l6 secured to the recess 20 before acting to turn the ring 24. To door case. The hold-back device of the check provide for this, the rear surface portion 2'! of comprises a spring-pressed ball l8 which is the stop member 22 is stepped down as shown in 55 Fig. 5, so that in case the ball should be forced back upon this portion of the stop member, its spring will not be placed under sufficient tension to overcome the frictional engagement between the stop ring 24 and the wall of the groove in in which it is mounted, thus permitting the ball to ride up on the surface 21 and into the recess before the ring is turned. 7

The retaining means for the stop ring 24 comprises a locking arm 28 which is pivotally mounted on a pin or screw 38 that is secured in projecting lugs on the stop ring 24. This arm is normally held in horizontal position by gravity but is free to swing upwardly about its pivot 30. The arm is locked in position to hold the stop carrying ring 24 from turning, by means of a latching device or keeper 32 that is pivotally mounted on a pin 34 having its ends secured in the sides of a casing 36. The keeper is pressed forwardly with its inner end in abutting engagement with the inner or bottom side of said casing, by means of a spring 38 coiled about the pin 34 and having one end connected with the keeper and its other end fixed to the casing. The keeper is held from retracting movement to release the locking arm 28, by means of a dogging member 40 having one end pivotally mounted on a pin 42 on the casing. The outer edge of the dogging member is provided with a hook-like recess portion 44 which is engaged by a stud or pin 48 on the keeper. The inner edge of the free end of the member 40 normally abuts against the inner wall of a notch in an armature plate 48 pivoted on the bottom or inner side of the casing and arranged to be operated by electromagnets 58. Upon the magnets '50 being energized, the armature plate 48 is drawn back against the tension of its spring 52 so as to disengage it from theend of the dogging member 48; whereupon the keeper is free to be moved against the tension of its spring 38 by the locking arm 28, thus releasing said arm from the keeper and allowing the stop ring 24 to turn with the door-closing arm, during the closing of the door. Upon the electro-magnets being deenergized, the keeper is returned to its normal efiective position by means of the spring 38, and the pin 56 thereon restores the arm 40 to its normal position where its end is held by the armature 48.

During the reopening of the door, the stop ring 24 carries the locking arm 28 therewith until the door reaches its wide open position, whereupon the end of the locking arm moves into locking engagement with the keeper, the free end of the locking arm riding up on a beveled or inclined surface 54 on the keeper and dropping by gravity down back of the keeper.

Referring to Fig. 2, the circuit connection with the electro-magnet 50 is through the bracket 16, link or loop l4, door closing arm 12, door check casing, and thence through the locking arm 28, keeper plate 32, and a contact spring 56 that engages the top side of the dogging arm 40. This contact spring is insulated from the case of the keeper and is connected through an insulated wire 58 (Fig. '7) with one side of the electro-magnet. The other side of the power line is shown connected to the inactive leaf of the door hinge 88, and the path to the other side of the magnet is from the active leaf of the door hinge to a conductor 62 connected with the magnet. A strip of insulating material 64 is positioned between the keeper casing and the door check casing so as to permit the keeper to be spaced in proper relation to the door check and at the same time to be insulated therefrom, thus furnishing a path for the current only through the locking arm 28.

It will be apparent upon operation of the device, that as soon as the locking arm 28 breaks contact with the keeper 32, the electrical circuit is broken. However, where alternating current is used, objectionable sound may be caused by vibration of the armature, while the end of the locking arm 28 is wiping past the surface of the keeper if the push-button or other manually operated switch is held closed. It is, therefore, desirable that the circuit shall be broken immediately after the push-button is pressed, and this is accomplished by displacement of the dogging arm 40 of the keeper from contact with the contact spring 56. The dogging arm 48 does not return to its position in contact with the spring 58 until after the locking arm 28 has cleared the face of the keeper so that by the time saiddogging arm comes in contact'with the spring 56, the circuit is broken by disengagement of the locking arm from the keeper.

In place of a manually operated switch, the device may be operated by a suitable thermostatically controlled switch which may be located at any desired point remote from the check. Where the check is thus used for fire door purposes, the insulating strip 64 between the check casing and keeper casing may be omitted and these parts electrically connected, allowing current to reach the electro-magnet directly instead of through the locking arm 28. The current is thus not broken upon the operation of the device,

with the result that in case of the use of alternating current the armature will vibrate continuously so as to provide an audible fire alarm which continues until the circuit has been manually broken by resetting of the thermostat. It will be apparent that the keeper is maintained in unlocked condition during the time that the circuit is closed so that in case the door is swung open at this time there is no danger of it being caught and held open by the hold-back device of the check, the stop carrying ring 24 being free to revolve until the circuit has been manually or otherwise broken at the thermostat.

When the check is used for firedoor purposes, if desired in place of the door-closing arm I2 a fusible link controlled carrying arm may be employed such as described and claimed in my Patents Nos. 1,816,391, dated July 28, 1931 and 1,816,392, dated July 28, 1931, and pending application Serial No. 598,635, filed March 14, 1932.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a door check, the combination of a casing adapted to be secured to a door, a Spring actuated door-closing arm pivoted on the casing,

a detent carried by the arm, a stop member mounted on the casing and adapted to be moved about the axis of said arm, said detent and stop member being arranged to engage when the stop member is in a predetermined angular position with relation to the axis of said arm to hold the door in a predetermined open position, means for retaining the stop member in said predetermined position, and electrically operated means for releasing said retaining means to permit said stop member to move with said detent about the axis of said arm to allow said arm to close the door, a switch in circuit with said electrically operated means, and means for opening the switch upon release of said retaining means.

2. In a door check, the combination of a casing adapted to be secured to a door, a spring actuated door-closing arm pivoted on the casing, a detent carried by the arm, a stop member mounted on the casing and adapted to be moved about the axis of said arm, said detent and stop member being arranged to engage when the stop member is in a predetermined angular position with relation to the axis of said arm to hold the door in a predetermined open position, means for retaining the stop member in said predetermined position, and electrically operated means for releasing said retaining means to permit said stopmember to move with said detent about the axis of said arm to allow said arm to close the door, said retaining means being automatically reset when said door is reopened to said predetermined position, a switch in circuit with said electrically operated means, and means for opening the switch when said retaining means is released and for closing the switch when said retaining means is reset.

3. In a door check, the combination of means tending to close the door, means for holding the door in a predetermined open position, electrically operated means for releasing said holding means, and means acting automatically to reset said holding means upon reopening the door to said predetermined position, a switch in circuit with said electrically operated means, and means for opening the switch upon release of said holding means.

4. In a door check, the combination of a casing adapted to be secured to a door, a spring actuated door closing arm pivoted on the casing, a stop, a carrier for the stop mounted to turn on the casing about the aids of said arm, a locking arm having one end pivotally connected with said stop carrier, a keeper normally engaging the other end of said locking arm to hold said stop in a predetermined angular position, electrically operable means to release said keeper from said arm, a detent carried by said arm arranged to engage said stop when said stop is held in said predetermined position to hold the door in a predetermined open position and to move said stop therewith when said locking arm is released and during the closing of the door and until the door is returned to its predetermined open position, and means for restoring the keeper to efiective position when said lock-ing arm is released so as topermit said locking arm to latch into engagement with said keeper when the door is returned to said predetermined open position.

5. In a door check, the combination of a casing adapted to be secured to a door, a spring actuated door closing arm pivoted on the casing, a stop, a carrier for the stop mounted to turn on the casing about the axis of said arm, a keeper normally held in effective position, connections with said stop carrier normally held by said keeper to hold said stop in a predetermined angular position, electrically operable means to release said keeper, a detent carried by said arm arranged to engage said stop when said stop is held in said predetermined position to hold the door in a predetermined open position and to move said stop therewith when said carrier is released and during the closing of the door and until the door is returned to its predetermined open position, and means for restoring the keeper to effective position when said carrier is released therefrom so as to cause said connections with the carrier to reengage and to be held by said keeper when the door is returned to said predetermined open position.

6. In a door check the combination of a casing adapted to be secured to a door, a spring actuated door-closing arm pivoted on the casing, a stop member mounted on the casing and adapted to be moved about the axis of said arm, means for retaining the stop member in a predetermined angular position with relation to the axis of said arm, means controllable from a remote point for releasing said retaining means, a detent carried by said arm arranged to engage said stop member when the stop member is in said predetermined angular position and the door is moved into a predetermined open position to hold the door in said open position and upon release of said retaining means to cause said stop member to move therewith during the closing movement of the door, and during the reopening of the door to said predetermined position, and means acting automatically to reset said retaining means when the door is reopened to said predetermined position.

7. In a door check the combination of means tending to close the door, means for holding the door in a predetermined open position, electrically operated means for releasing said holding means, means acting automatically to reset said holding means upon reopening the door to said predetermined position, a switch in circuit with said electrically operated means, and means for opening the switch upon releasing said holding means, and for reclosing the switch upon resetting said holding means.

WALLACE F. MOORE. 

